News Archive

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Rookies Meet
June 26 2002
By Bryan Hersh of 49ers Paradise
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The NFL rookies held a now annual meeting on this past Sunday. The meeting held at the La Costa Resort and Spa was headed up by Mike Haynes. Haynes position among the NFL executives is to help rookies adjust to the NFL, and to help open up the communication lines between the two sides. The meeting was his first in the position, and he immediately got to work.

Haynes, a former player also has a position in the NFL Hall Of Fame in Canton. But he was a rookie once too, and that was a long time before the NFL had meetings to help players adjust to the league. Haynes wants to make an impact in his position, and that was what he wanted to come across at this meetings.

Very few rookies think ahead. Most by making the NFL are reaching life goals. At this symposium, Haynes tried to get the rookies to set more goals and to understand that there is more to life than making the NFL. Itís hard message to get across to a bunch of twenty-five year olds to listen to future planning when they are too involved in making a final roster or to handle their wealth smartly.

While the message was clear, it may not have been hammered home to these young millionaires. Haynes however will continue to meet with the rookies and try to guide them into making educated decisions, and to start their charity work soon. He will receive some help from orientations put on by each team, but really it will come down to these youngsters calming down and getting over the millions, and having to make a NFL roster before they star being far-sighted.